Can lizards really grow back their tails?

Have you ever heard that if a lizard loses its tail, the tail can grow back? How does this happen?! Why does this happen!? Why does the lizard even lose its tail in the first place??!

Most of the time, a lizard loses its tail as a way of helping it to escape from a predator. If an animal grabs a lizard by its tail to capture it, the lizard can just separate from his or her tail and run away! (Pretty cool, huh??)

When this happens, certain kinds of lizards can grow back their tails over a period of time. This special ability is known as “autotomy.” Usually the new tail isn’t quite the same as the old one, but it can still help the lizard with movement and balance, like the old tail. Scientists don’t know exactly how these certain lizards are able to re-grow their lost body part, but it’s certainly helpful to the lizards!!

Exploration

Leapin' Lizards!

Have you ever seen a lizard? They’re more common in warm climates or rural areas than in colder places or cities.

Lizards that tend to live in gardens are usually just a couple of inches big, but there are some lizards in certain places in the world that can grow to be up to ten feet long and about 200 pounds! These lizards are called “Komodo Dragons,” and they usually live in different parts of Indonesia. And don’t worry, in spite of their name, Komodo Dragons don’t breathe fire like the dragons you read about in fairytales!